EarthEn receives US DOE support for CO2

Phoenix-based EarthEn has received funding and support from the US Department of Energy (DOE) to commercialise its long-duration energy storage solution that utilises supercritical carbon dioxide (sCO2) technology.

EarthEn’s CEO, Manas Pathak, is one of seven entrepreneurs selected for the support programme. Titled Innovation Crossroads, the two-year programme focuses on energy and advanced manufacturing technologies.

As part of the programme, EarthEn will receive DOE funding and support for collaborative research and development of EarthEn’s technology at ORNL’s Knoxville, Tennessee campus.

EarthEn’s Pods use CO2 in a closed loop to store 4-100+ hours of energy at a low cost, highly scalable, and safe way for 30 years.

Pathak said he is honoured to be selected to participate in the programme. He added, “The funding and support will propel our efforts to further develop and commercialise our sCO2-based energy storage technology.”

In addition to EarthEn’s participation in Innovation Crossroads, EarthEn is also the commercialisation partner in the latest funding selections for the DOE’s 2023 Technology Commercialisation Fund (TCF) lab call where EarthEn’s proposed topic on sCO2 heat-exchangers, in partnership with ORNL was awarded $750,000 by the DOE.

Supercritical CO2: A deeper dive

Supercritical CO2 is far from being a new discovery. As a branch of thermodynamics, it has long been known that elements can be elevated to their supercritical state and examples of the usage of sCO₂ can be traced back to the 1980s, if not before, in enhanced oil recovery.

It’s also worth noting that sCO₂ has long been used in certain industrial cleaning processes: in the sterilisation of biomedical materials as an alternative to thermal sterilisation of biological materials and medical devices, in the production of aerogels, as an extraction solvent in laboratories (including for determining hydrocarbon components in water) and as a more environmentally friendly solvent for dry cleaning.

CO2 in this state has also been gaining popularity among coffee manufacturers looking to move away from classic decaffeinating solvents due to real or perceived dangers related to their use in food preparation.

Supercritical CO₂ is also used as the working fluid in high efficiency water heat pumps, for domestic and business heating and cooling applications, and is in vogue as an emerging natural refrigerant in new, low-carbon solutions. It could be used too as a working fluid in enhanced geothermal systems where the properties of its elevated state could provide many advantages to using water, not least higher energy yield.

CO2 Summit 2023

Shortages and sourcing challenges are the headline stories everyone’s talking about in CO2 supply. But the whole carbon dioxide value chain is transforming – as this story itself demonstrates.

Applications are not only emerging and evolving but demanding more of the industry and its sourcing too. That calls for new thinking in CO2 storage and distribution, but it also raises questions over the tracking and management of supply chains. How we see CO2 is changing, shifting from waste disposal to a value chain in its own right. This will see the tonnage utilisation of CO2 evolve beyond recognition.

Join gasworld this September as our North American CO2 Summit 2023 assesses the threats, challenges and opportunities ahead in carbon dioxide – how we find it, source it, purify it and deliver it. Learn about the changing face of CO2; the opportunities in direct air capture (DAC); supply chain strategies; carbon credits and legislation; and so much more.

Tickets are selling fast and sold-out early last year, so book your place now. For more information and how to attend, visit https://gasworldconferences.com/conference/north-american-co2-summit-2023-indianapolis/